


Kiss Me Like You Mean It

by iwasnttrainedforthis



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Merlin (Kingsman) Lives, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:13:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28435188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasnttrainedforthis/pseuds/iwasnttrainedforthis
Summary: Merlin finds himself back in the field when an old acquaintance (who may or may not be up to some shady business) invites him on a retreat at a high-end resort.The original plan was for Eggsy to go along as his assistant, for backup. Things don’t go according to plan.
Relationships: Merlin/Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
Comments: 21
Kudos: 93





	Kiss Me Like You Mean It

Merlin stares Harry down. Harry stares back at him, unmoved.

“We can’t spare the extra agent right now,” Merlin says.

“I disagree,” says Harry. “This mission is a priority and I intend to treat it that way.”

“So what you’re really saying is you don’t think I can handle it on my own.” Merlin injects a bit of hurt into his voice.

Harry sounds irritated now. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s a matter of what is an acceptable risk. The last time you went into the field, you nearly died. Where would Kingsman be if you had?” He tilts his head. “I don't understand why you’re fighting this so hard. I was under the impression you liked working with Eggsy.”

Merlin says nothing. He doesn’t want to explain why things have been awkward with Eggsy lately. He's not entirely sure he can explain it.

When Harry and Eggsy found Merlin still clinging to life on the jungle floor, there had been a lot of happy tears. While Merlin was recovering with the help of the Statesmen, Eggsy had been positively solicitous. Until the day he decided Merlin was ready to handle a discussion about certain choices that had been made, and what forms of self-sacrificing behavior were or were not appropriate.

Merlin had no interest in discussing why he did what he did. Words were said. That had been the end of Eggsy’s bedside visits. All interactions since then have been strictly between Agent Galahad and Quartermaster Merlin.

Merlin is about to start an argument instead about whether Harry really has the authority to force the issue, when the door swings open, Eggsy charging through it.

“Harry, what the hell is—” Eggsy comes to a halt when he sees Merlin. “I mean, hello Arthur, Merlin.”

“Galahad.” Harry nods at the tablet in Eggsy’s hand. “I see you’ve read the mission briefing.”

Eggsy recovers a bit of his energy. “Yeah, I read the mission briefing and I’ve got some questions.” He points at Merlin. “Like, why the fuck does it say Merlin is going with me?”

Merlin is more hurt than angry at this, and he’s pretty angry. “Excuse me?”

Eggsy turns to face him. “You heard me. You’re the handler, the tech guy. That means you stay here in HQ, where it’s safe. I know we’re short on agents, but there’s no reason you need to be on this mission. I can handle it myself. Right Harry?” He turns back to Harry.

Harry rubs his forehead. “No, Eggsy.”

“No, I got it all figured out.” Eggsy scrolls through his tablet. “I’ll head down to Belize now, get a job at Volkov’s vacation pad as a pool boy or something. Then when he and Perry show up for their retreat I’ll already be there. I can send back all the info you need on whatever they come up with.”

Merlin closes his eyes briefly. “If that was an option, don’t you think that would have been our plan from the start? Volkov is extremely paranoid. That’s why no other agency has been able to place someone inside his organization.”

“We’re very lucky Merlin has this connection,” Harry adds.

Eggsy squints at Merlin. “Yeah, how is it you’re friends with this guy in the first place?”

“I met Perry in university. He didn’t mention any long term plans for world domination at the time.” Merlin narrows his eyes right back at Eggsy. “Quite frankly I don’t think it’s a good idea to involve you at all, but I’ve been overruled.” He turns back to Harry. “I’ll bring him along as my assistant, but if we get any pushback from Perry or Volkov, he backs off.”

Eggsy scoffs at this. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, guv.”

“Good man.” Harry claps Eggsy on the back approvingly. Merlin can’t believe these are the men he considers his closest friends.

* * *

Eggsy steps out of the shop and comes to a halt. Merlin is waiting beside the taxi, looking sharp as hell. It only reminds Eggsy of the last time he saw Merlin in a suit that nice. He pushes his irrational fears away. It’s possible he may have overreacted a bit when he found out Merlin was coming out in the field with him.

“Looking good, Merlin,” Eggsy tells him as they get in the car. “Look, I wanted to say I’m sorry for what I said the other day. ‘Course I'm excited to work with you. I was just worried.”

Merlin just hands him a portfolio. "I’ve put together some documents for you to carry as my assistant.”

Right. Eggsy starts flipping through the pages. “So am I your plucky PA? Or more of an indispensable right hand man?” He turns a diagram sideways to see if that makes it more intelligible.

“I think we’d better go with assistant I hired for his top-notch organizational skills rather than his technical knowledge.”

Eggsy flips the portfolio shut. “Gotcha. What’s the plan if Perry doesn’t recognize you?” He nudges Merlin’s side. “Harry snuck an old school picture of you in my briefing packet. Very handsome.”

Merlin finally cracks a smile. “One of these days I’m going to find out where he keeps the hard copy.” He shakes his head. “But it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve inserted a few blurbs about me and my dummy corporation into his news feeds. Should have jogged his memory, hopefully started the gears turning in his head.”

They arrive at the restaurant to find it filled with businessmen on business lunches, and a handful of couples on lunch dates. Eggsy spots their mark and arranges their seats so Perry can’t fail to miss Merlin on the way out, and might even spot him while they’re eating. Then he orders the biggest ribeye on the menu and sits back to wait. While they eat, he lures Merlin into a debate over which F1 team has the best shot this year. Eggsy’s found that when Merlin’s enthusiastic about something he’s talking about, it’s hard to take your eyes off him, which is exactly what they want right now.

It works. Merlin is stabbing his fork in Eggsy’s general direction, when they hear “Hamish Campbell? Is that you?”

Merlin looks up and grins “Dave Perry!” He stands and shakes Perry’s hand. “It’s been too long. What are you getting up to these days?”

“Oh, a little of this, a little of that.” He shakes his head. “What are the odds? I was just thinking about you and those all-night brainstorming sessions we used to have. I’m actually putting together a little retreat in Belize with a business partner. Nothing too fancy, just a few friends getting together to have some fun and maybe solve a few problems.”

Sounds like they’re on the right track. Eggsy clears his throat. “That sounds amazing. I’ve never been to Belize.”

“My apologies,” Merlin says, turning a bit. “Dave, this is Andrew Taylor, my right hand man at Computex.”

Perry smiles broadly. “Delighted to meet you. If you can keep up with Hamish, I'm already impressed.” He looks apologetic as he shakes Eggsy’s hand. “I’m afraid we’re keeping the guest list pretty small.” He turns back to Merlin. “Maybe a dozen of us. Plus wives, of course. I fear for my health if I went to Belize and left Sharon at home. If you're interested, I'll send your man the details.”

Merlin glances at Eggsy.

“I understand—” he starts to say. Eggsy pushes back from the table, scraping his chair along the floor.

“Is that how it is?” he asks loudly. “I guess I understand too. Thought you said you and me was it for you but I guess you only meant when it’s convenient. I’ll just put that on your schedule for next week then? Find a wife for you to take on your next trip?” Eggsy stalks towards the door of the restaurant, slamming it dramatically closed behind him but lingering on the pavement out front, as if hoping someone might come after him.

Merlin speaks with Perry for another minute before coming outside after Eggsy. He stands with his back to the restaurant, blocking Eggsy’s view inside.

He eyes Eggsy for a moment. “Well?” asks Eggsy.

Merlin looks stern. “That could have gone very badly.”

Eggsy’s shoulder slump in relief and he grins. “He bought it. And you thought you were going to get rid of me after all.”

Merlin takes Eggsy by the arms, angling them so they can both be seen by everyone inside the restaurant. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he says. Eggsy’s eyes go wide.

Merlin leans in for a kiss. Eggsy goes with it, putting his arms around Merlin’s neck like he’s some kind of Disney princess. After a moment Merlin pulls back. Eggsy stares at him, blinking. They’re still very close together. He’s always secretly admired Merlin’s eyes, which seem darker from this new vantage point. It’s possible Eggsy hasn’t thought this all the way through. Merlin takes his hand and tugs him back inside the restaurant. Eggsy follows.

* * *

The car pulls up in front of a sprawling estate tucked between the forest and the ocean. According to their intel, the place used to be a high-end resort before Volkov purchased it. The resort has since been taken off the grid and repurposed for his private use.

Eggsy is out of the car practically before it comes to a stop. He’s usually full of restless energy before a mission starts. Merlin is feeling a bit on edge himself. Despite his assurances to Harry and Eggsy, field work is not his specialty. Considering how the last attempt turned out.

He’s not sure yet how much of a disaster having Eggsy along as his significant other will turn out to be. Morgana had been nothing but enthusiastic about the last-minute modification to their plans, supplying Eggsy with additional information on Perry’s wife and Volkov’s young girlfriend, in the hopes either can provide useful information.

Merlin is hit by the press of humidity and the scent of vegetation as soon as he steps out of the car. He tries not to breathe too deeply, startling a bit when Eggsy slips a hand into his. When he looks over, Eggsy gives him a quick smile.

Merlin squeezes his hand as they start making their way up the path towards the estate.

Perry and his wife are waiting for them. “Welcome!” Perry says.

Merlin has to let go of Eggsy when Sharon goes in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, Sharon.”

She gives him another squeeze before pulling back. “It’s been too long. I’m glad to see you’re taking care of yourself.” She turns with a smile to Eggsy. “Or at least someone is taking care of you.”

Merlin nods at Eggsy. “My partner, Andrew.”

Eggsy has on his megawatt smile now. “Hamish’s told me some stories about what you all got up to back in the day, but he never mentioned you were so beautiful.” He winks at her.

She laughs at him, shaking his hand. “You’ve got a good one here, Hamish.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“Now you boys follow us, Dave can show you where you’re staying. I know you’ll probably need some time to rest after your trip. Can you believe how gorgeous this place is? I told Dave he needs to schedule these retreats more often.”

They make their way through the house, Sharon chattering and pointing out various points of interest.

“Your room is through here. I’ll leave you to it, dinner is at 8. I know Yevgeni is looking forward to meeting you.”

Merlin steps through the door, Eggsy following. It’s a lovely room, spacious with a beautiful view.

Merlin pulls out his slightly modified mobile and scans for bugs. Eggsy does the same on the other side of the room. They work in silence until they meet in the middle.

“We’re clear, Morgana,” Merlin says.

“Looks good on my end too,” she replies over his glasses. “We’ve got the blueprints for the house but we’re still missing some details. Perhaps you two lovebirds would like to take a stroll and do some exploring before dinner?”

Eggsy lets out a sigh from where he’s now sprawled out on the bed. “You sure it wouldn’t be more believable for us to maybe take a nap after our grueling travel?” Merlin shoots him a look. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” He props himself up on his elbows. "Seriously though Merlin, if you need to rest for a bit I can poke around myself."

Merlin snorts. "I would never leave my sweetheart alone to fend for himself."

Eggsy shrugs. "Suit yourself." He bounces from the bed with an irritating abundance of youthful energy and rifles through his suitcase until he pulls out a clean shirt. “Your friends actually seem really nice. Hard to believe what they’re mixed up in.”

“If I’m honest, Perry was fairly impressionable back in school. He was a good friend, but not always the best judge of character.”

Eggsy’s taking off his current shirt but pauses once it's off. "It wouldn’t seem weird to him that you’re dating a bloke, right?"

Merlin rolls his eyes. "You've only thought of that now?"

“I just need to know if I’m one in a long string of boytoys? Or are you having a midlife crisis? Were you a straightlaced monk I’ve lured into a life of sin?”

“They know I’ve dated men before,” Merlin says once Eggsy manages to wrestle his new shirt on. Maybe if he didn’t wear such tight shirts he’d have an easier time.

“Right. Good.”

And now that they’re on the subject, “Tilde won’t be upset about…” he trails off.

Eggsy looks at him, confused. Merlin’s eyes dip down to his mouth involuntarily.

Eggsy clears his throat and looks away. “We broke up,” he says. “Which you would know if you had spent more than five minutes in the same room with me any time in the past two months.”

“I didn’t realize. I’m sorry to hear that.” Eggsy doesn’t reply. Merlin turns away, moving to the window to look over the sight lines. “We’ll keep our story simple. Since you were supposed to be my assistant, we obviously fell in love on the job. Late nights in the office, long hours working together on big projects. Nothing complicated.”

“Makes sense.” Eggsy taps on his glasses. “Morgana can help us keep the details straight when we’re separated, right?”

“You got it, Galahad. Plus Arthur has volunteered to help out.” Of course he has.

“I wanted to make sure Morgana has all the support she needs. I know she was feeling nervous about her first big mission without you, Merlin,” Harry cuts in.

“That’s a lie,” says Morgana. “He’s lonely with you both gone.”

Harry cuts back in again. “At any rate, we’re seeing a lot of activity around a particular storage shed near the rear gardens. I suggest starting there.”

Merlin goes back to pocket a few bugs from his luggage. “Ready when you are, Galahad.”

* * *

Dinner finally breaks up after what feels like hours of making small talk with a bunch of nerdy engineer types, trying to figure out which ones are plotting to destroy the electrical grids of a dozen major cities at once.

Eggsy keeps his arm around Merlin until they make it back to their room after dinner. You never know who might be watching. Merlin’s shoulders slump once the door closes behind them. He sits down on the bed, looking around for the rest of their luggage. After a minute he braces himself to get back up again. Eggsy waves him back down.

“I got this. Give me a sec.” He grabs Merlin’s chair and brings it over, unfolding it. Merlin grimaces as he props one leg up to take it off. “You need any help with that?”

“No, thank you.”

“The shower’s got a nice bench. Or I could run you a bath?”

“I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself,” snaps Merlin.

Eggsy drops Merlin’s toiletry bag on the bed. “Right.” He turns away and heads back to his own suitcase, looking through it for his toolkit.

Merlin sighs, rubbing his forehead. “I’m sorry, Eggsy. You know I get cranky when I’m tired.” He’s not wrong. “It would help if I can have the side of the bed closest to the toilet.”

Eggsy already suspects it would be a bad idea to share a bed with Merlin, so he’s made other plans. “Wasn’t planning on doing much sleeping anyway.” He pulls a long sleeve black shirt on and checks his watch. “I’ll start with that server room, plant some more bugs around the gardens, then I’m gonna see what kind of security Volkov has around his suite. I can nap for a few hours in the morning.”

Merlin stops wheeling himself to the bathroom, turning to face Eggsy. “You’re not going to spend the whole night out. You need to be well rested so you can get close to Anna tomorrow while I’m working with Volkov. You have two hours, then I expect you back here.”

Eggsy is not impressed. “So I can’t look after you, but you can give me a bedtime? You’re not my handler on this one.”

Merlin tilts his head. “You have a complaint?”

He does, actually. But before he can respond, Morgana breaks in. “He’s right, Eggsy. Two hours should be plenty of time to reconnoiter. You’ll cause no end of problems if you get caught wandering the house in the middle of the night.”

“Fine.” Eggsy had almost forgotten they were being monitored. “If anyone asks, I’m out looking for snacks.” He leaves without looking back.

As he makes his way back to the room a few hours later, he has to admit they had a point. It’s been a long day and his reflexes are slowing. He opens the door slowly and quietly, only to find Merlin in bed but still awake. He’s propped up against a few of the fluffier pillows, wearing a soft-looking vest and reading something on his tablet. He looks up when Eggsy comes in.

“Find anything interesting?”

“Not unless you count this weird possum I saw out by the pool. No crazy security on Volkov’s room, but far as we could tell he seems like a restless sleeper. If we need to go through his stuff, you might have to create a distraction for me later.”

“Or we could drug him,” mutters Merlin, going back to his tablet.

Eggsy snorts. “You didn’t have to stay up for me.”

Merlin swipes at something on his tablet. “I didn’t. Just reading up on a few things for tomorrow.”

Eggsy leaves him to it. Morgana checks in one last time while he’s cleaning his teeth. “I’m signing off for the night, Galahad. I’ll be back at 0700 tomorrow, and if you haven’t gotten some sleep tonight, I’ll know.” Eggsy makes an appropriately inappropriate gesture at the mirror, then slips the glasses off.

By the time he’s done, Merlin has fallen asleep, head lolling to one side. Eggsy creeps to his side, gently taking his glasses off and setting them on the bedside table. Eggsy lets him keep the tablet he's still clutching.

He watches Merlin sleep for another minute or two before he makes himself walk around to the other side of the bed and get in. He lays on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Maybe he has been harboring a crush on the one man who's always been there for him when the world turns to shit. That’s only natural.

He tries some deep breathing exercises which are only moderately helpful. If Morgana happens to look over his heart rate and respiration tomorrow like she threatened, he might be in trouble. His training never covered how to quickly and easily fall asleep lying five inches away from the man you’ve just realized you might be in love with.

Eggsy opens his eyes slowly. He’s wrapped up in soft sheets, feeling warm and snug. Merlin is pressed close behind him, with an arm wrapped tightly around him. Eggsy inhales sharply in surprise and all he can smell is Merlin. His heart squeezes in his chest. Merlin is breathing steadily and deeply. Eggsy moves as slowly as he can, gingerly lifting Merlin’s arm up so he can escape.

He staggers into the en suite, heart racing much faster than it should be considering all he’s done is get out of bed. He tries to shake it off, giving himself a stern talking to as he starts the shower. Whoever Merlin was dreaming he was cuddled up to, it’s none of Eggsy’s business. Eggsy is a professional, damn it. He stares at himself in the mirror. A professional who now knows what it feels like to wake up in Merlin’s arms. He sighs and gets in the shower.

He considers turning the knob to ice cold to take care of his persistent erection, but maybe jerking off is a better idea. So he can concentrate on more important things. He takes himself firmly in hand. As he strokes, he tries to focus on just the sensations, and not the thought of Merlin pressed up behind him. He doesn’t think about Merlin’s arms around him, one large hand wandering up his chest and the other wrapped around his cock. He bites his lip and strokes faster and especially doesn’t think about Merlin leaning forward to press a kiss behind his ear.

Eggsy comes with a shiver.

He’s so fucked.

Eggsy grabs a mojito from the bar and takes a seat on the chair next to Anna. From here he’s got a view of the pool, and beyond the pool, the ocean. He might be learning some inconvenient truths about himself, but he’s definitely been on worse missions.

He takes a sip. “I am fucking loving this retreat so far.”

She tips her head over to look at him. “You don’t mind being stuck with the wives and girlfriends?”

“You kidding? This is great. Usually when Hamish’s on one of these coding benders, I’m stuck trying to rearrange his schedule around him, keep the company running, and you know, make sure he eats occasionally. Here I can relax, and drink, and let him play with his friends.”

He looks over to the shaded patio where Merlin is arguing over a laptop with Perry, while Volkov takes notes on a pad of paper.

“Sounds familiar. I make Yevgeni follow a strict schedule when we travel. He can work all day if he wants, but he has to stop at dinnertime and take me out to do something fun in the evening.”

“You do a lot of traveling then?”

She nods excitedly. “I love to travel. It’s how he first got my attention. We met at a club one night and he invited me to fly to Rome with him the very next day.” She takes a sip of her drink. “He wasn’t exactly my type, but...he’s been very generous.” She shoots Eggsy a look under her lashes. “You know how it is, don’t you?”

He’s got a split second to decide how to play this. Can Anna be seduced? Is it worth the risk? Eggsy glances back at the patio. Merlin sees him looking and smiles back at him.

Anna laughs at him. “Never mind. I can tell from the look on your face you’re not just with him for his private jet.”

Busted. Gay BFF it is.

He shoots her a wink. “You haven’t seen the size of his jet.”

* * *

“Oh good, you’re back,” says Eggsy as soon as Merlin opens the door. He’s standing shirtless next to the closet door. “What’s the dress code for this dinner like? Do I need a suit? Or can I get away with like a nice button down?” He holds up a shirt somehow the exact same shade as his eyes.

“The shirt should be fine,” he manages after a moment, coming all the way into the room.

In his ear, Harry says “I told him that, but he insisted on waiting to hear your opinion.” He’s smirking, Merlin can tell.

Eggsy either didn’t hear this or ignores it. “How did your day go with the guys?” he asks as he starts buttoning.

“Unfortunately very productive.” Merlin heads over to the closet to look through his own wardrobe. “I’m still not sure whether Dave actually believes we’re looking for weaknesses in the power grids in order to prevent attacks.”

“Morgana is looking over the schematics from your feed now, she’ll pass on what she can to the relevant authorities,” Harry tells him, helpful for once.

“What about Volkov?” asks Eggsy.

Merlin scowls. “He wouldn’t let me get so much as a glimpse at his work.”

“Not like he ain’t right to be suspicious. Can’t you just hack into it? Need me to steal a laptop or something later tonight?”

“He only uses paper and pencil.” Merlin can hardly believe it.

“And he keeps that notebook close. Morgana thinks he stores it in the safe in his suite when he’s not working on it,” adds Harry.

“We can work with that.” Merlin turns to Eggsy. “Were you able to make any progress with the girlfriend? If I keep Volkov distracted tomorrow, could you get an invitation to their bedroom?”

Eggsy rubs the back of his neck. “I’m not sure she’d be receptive.”

“How do you mean?” In Merlin’s experience, people not receptive to Eggsy are few and far between.

“I think what Eggsy is trying to say is he has perhaps done too good a job convincing Anna he’s madly in love with you for that to be an option,” Harry says.

Eggsy looks defensive now. “I was trying to build rapport! And sleeping with the head boss’s girlfriend is a risky move anyway. Remember Bucharest last year?”

“It’s fine, lad. We’ll just have to think of something else.”

“No, you’re on the right track, Merlin. You and Eggsy just need to modify the plan slightly.” Merlin looks at Eggsy, unsure what Harry could be referring to. Eggsy shrugs back at him. “Don’t you remember how Bors and I got out of that sticky situation back in Monaco in ‘97?”

Ah, of course. Eggsy still looks confused.

“You and I will give the impression that we are leaving dinner early to be alone together.”

“Huh.” Eggsy finishes buttoning his shirt, turning back to the closet without looking at Merlin. “That would be easier than trying to drug them both at the same time. Where did you hide the safecracking kit?”

Dinner goes relatively smoothly, though Merlin finds himself distracted by Eggsy more often than he would like. He’s a bit fixated on the show they’ll have to put on shortly. Eventually the food is cleared, but the wine keeps coming. Merlin makes sure to sip his slowly. When the band starts into the next song, Sharon pulls her husband out onto the floor to dance. Merlin may or may not have tipped the band to add her favorite song to tonight’s playlist. He doesn’t waste any time pulling Eggsy up to follow them.

One thing his extensive physical therapy didn’t include was dancing. Fortunately, the dancing isn’t the important part. He pulls Eggsy close and leads him in a simple two-step while he ponders their next move. Eggsy seems content to follow his lead.

He starts things off with a soft, sweet kiss, the way he might if this were real and he was taking Eggsy out for dinner and drinks with their friends. Eggsy makes a tiny noise in the back of his throat. Merlin pulls back. “This alright?” he asks.

“Yeah, no, you’re good.” Eggsy clears his throat. They’re barely doing anything more than swaying back and forth at this point. “I think we can do better than that though, if we really want to sell this.” He steps even closer and pulls Merlin down for a kiss that is not soft or sweet at all.

When Merlin pulls back to catch his breath, wide eyed, Eggsy grins up at him. “Not too much for you, is it?”

Merlin will probably regret this later, but he can only take so much. He maneuvers Eggsy a few steps backwards until Eggsy’s back hits one of the columns off to the side of the dance floor and leans down until his mouth is inches from Eggsy’s ear. “You’re right, we do need to sell this.”

He holds Eggsy’s head in place while he devours Eggsy’s mouth. Eggsy kisses him back enthusiastically, so he moves one hand down to Eggsy’s arse to pull him closer. They’re putting on an excellent show if Merlin does say so himself.

“I do believe everybody has gotten the point, gentlemen,” cuts in Harry through their feeds. Merlin pulls back with a start. “If you leave now, not a single person will be wondering where you’re headed.”

Eggsy glances behind Merlin back towards their table, then turns, tugging Merlin along behind him. “He’s right, let’s go.” They slip out towards the other end of the pavilion.

They make their way to Volkov’s suite in silence. It’s not an entirely comfortable silence. Merlin gets them into the rooms and starts scanning for cameras while Eggsy gets to work on the safe. He almost starts scanning the room again when he finishes, just to have something to do.

“Anna’s a big fan of sweets, I asked the kitchens to prepare a little something extra for dessert. We’ve probably got another three slices of cheesecake before we have to start worrying,” Eggsy says as he’s working.

“Good thinking.”

“Finally,” Eggsy says when he gets the safe open. “Here.” He hands Merlin a notebook. Merlin starts scanning through the pages as quickly as he can. Eggsy does the same with another stack of papers. The information is fairly alarming. It appears that Volkov is quite close to being able to carry out the attacks.

He hears Harry in his ear now, sounding alarmed. “It looks like they’re getting ready to leave dinner. You need to wrap things up now.”

“What, already?” Eggsy shuffles his papers back inside the safe. Merlin starts turning his pages faster. He’s almost done, and they need this information.

“Now,” repeats Harry. “They appear to be in quite a hurry to get back to their rooms.”

Merlin lets Eggsy take the notebook from him and seal it back in the safe. They easily escape via the balcony and make it back to their room without issue. Merlin immediately starts paging through the images he scanned.

He and Morgana spend several hours pouring over the schematics. "Do you think we can throw a major wrench in these plans if I can steer Perry’s focus back to the electrical substations?” he asks at one point.

Morgana sounds tired. "I think we haven’t come up with any new ideas in the last half hour and we need to call it a night."

Merlin frowns. "We're not even halfway through the notebook."

"And we’ll never make it through at this rate. We'll both be thinking more clearly in the morning."

Merlin straightens with a grimace. He's just now realizing he's been sitting at their room’s tiny desk for hours. As he stands his gaze goes to the bed, where Eggsy is sleeping peacefully.

"He gave up on you about an hour ago," Morgana says. "And I'm giving up now. You're on your own for the rest of the night."

Merlin bids her goodnight absentmindedly and seriously considers getting lost in blueprints and circuit diagrams again for the rest of the night. Instead, he gets ready for bed as quietly as he can. He tucks himself in bed, hugging the edge of the mattress. It’s almost painful knowing that if he were to roll over onto his other side, he would be able to watch the rise and fall of Eggsy’s bare chest in the moonlight. He’s not in love with Eggsy. Obviously. That would be extremely foolish of him. So why is he finding this mission so difficult?

He lays in bed and listens to Eggsy breathing for a long time.

He and Eggsy are back on the dimly lit patio, soft music playing. Eggsy is in his arms, so it’s only natural to lean in for a kiss. This time nobody else is watching, there’s nowhere they have to be. So he takes his time.

When he opens his eyes, Eggsy is still in his arms, pressed up against him, but they're not on the patio. They're in bed, sunlight pouring through the window. It was a dream. Feeling flushed and more than a little embarrassed, Merlin carefully tries to extricate himself. He freezes when his movements wake Eggsy, but Eggsy only blinks and smiles up at him. Merlin knows he shouldn’t, but he leans in for one last kiss. Eggsy clings to him when he tries to pull away.

"No, stay?" asks Eggsy, his hips moving in tiny thrusts against Merlin’s. "Please, Merlin."

Merlin is completely incapable of saying no to Eggsy right now. He rolls them over, pinning Eggsy down and grinding against him. "Yes, Eggsy," he says.

He’s still on edge from the dream and only manages a handful of thrusts before he's coming in his boxers. It takes him a minute to get his breath back. The way Eggsy is watching him as he does leaves him feeling peeled open. To distract him, Merlin presses his lips to Eggsy's shoulder, then a bit lower, making his way down until he can take Eggsy in his mouth. Eggsy’s groan is gratifyingly loud.

Merlin is determined to make this part last. He won’t get another chance. He teases Eggsy mercilessly, bringing him to the verge of orgasm again and again. Eggsy’s hands have gone from cradling Merlin’s head to gripping the sheets and he’s leaking steadily in Merlin’s mouth. The next time the breathless pleading starts up again Merlin takes pity on him and redoubles his efforts. Eggsy comes with a choked-off cry that he does his best to memorize.

He resists when Eggsy starts trying to pull him back up, sitting up instead and wiping at his mouth.

Eggsy leans in again, laughing. “I don’t mind. Come here.”

Merlin looks away. “This wasn’t a good idea.”

Eggsy flinches back.

“I thought you wanted—”

He did, which is the problem. “I shouldn’t have put you in that situation. It was inappropriate. It won’t happen again.”

“But I—”

“It won’t happen again.”

Eggsy frowns as he rolls to his feet and stalks off to the toilet. “Understood.”

* * *

“Andrew? Are you listening?” Anna tilts her head at him.

“Huh?”

“I said, are you interested in taking a ride out to the beach with me this afternoon? Are you feeling OK?”

Eggsy gives his head a shake.

“Just had a late night last night, that’s all.”

She sips her margarita and smirks at him. “I’ll bet.”

It’s really the rollercoaster of a morning that’s throwing him for a loop.

He woke up in Merlin’s arms again this morning, but instead of a guilty wank in the shower, he got an amazing blowjob. He would consider that extremely promising, except for the part where Merlin wouldn’t touch him afterwards.

But Eggsy’s not a super spy for nothing, and he’s determined to get to the bottom of this. As soon as this mission is over, he’s going to sit Merlin down for a long talk. Over candlelight. Somewhere expensive with a wine list Eggsy will need Harry’s help to interpret.

“So?”

“Sorry?”

“The beach, later today?”

“Yeah, sounds good. A nap on the beach ought to fix me right up.”

In Eggsy’s ear, Morgana cuts in. “Actually Galahad, we’ve got a bit of a situation.”

Eggsy’s eyes go immediately back to the patio. Merlin and the other men were sitting there just a moment ago. Now they’re gone. He sits up in his chair.

“What’s wrong?” Anna asks.

“Did you see where the guys went?”

Anna just shrugs. “Weren’t they going to work on the hardware today? Yevgeni has a workshop in the back.”

“Volkov noticed the program Merlin was trying to slip in. He sounded pretty angry about it. I think they’re headed to that storage shed behind the gardens,” Morgana says.

Eggsy stands, stretching his arms to the side so he has an excuse to scan the area. He spots a couple of burly landscapers headed his way and takes off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Merlin makes no effort to struggle as two men who he’s fairly certain were serving dinner last night drag him into some sort of workshop. Volkov follows them into the room.

The men dump him in a rickety wooden chair, remaining nearby to look menacing.

“Look, what’s going on here? If you didn’t like my work on the project, you could have just said so.”

Volkov gives him a blank look. “How stupid do you think I am?” He looms over Merlin. “Who do you work for?”

Merlin looks as helpless as he can. “Please. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

In his ear, Harry says, “Morgana has alerted Galahad, he’s on his way. Just keep stalling.”

“Perhaps my men can help jog your memory.” Volkov nods at the two men, and they step forward. Merlin braces himself. They each land a few blows to his face and stomach. When they retreat, Merlin shifts restlessly in his chair to cover the activation of his prosthetics’ weapon systems. He’s been waiting for this moment since he sketched out the first design. Hopefully all the practice has paid off.

“Anything you’d like to say now about why you have been deliberately sabotaging my work?” Merlin spits some blood out on the floor and says nothing. “I thought you might feel that way. They’re bringing your boy to me now. Maybe you’ll be in a more talkative mood when he gets here.” He waves the men forward again. “But while we wait…”

Merlin takes careful aim. The first dart flies out, hitting one of the men. The man flinches, pawing at his neck, before falling over. The other man pulls a gun but Merlin has already fired his second dart and the man's shot goes wild. The third dart hits Volkov in the back before he reaches the door.

“Good shooting Merlin!” says Harry. “I forgot you even had those.”

“You’re a terrible handler, Arthur.” The grin falls off his face when he hears gunshots outside. “What’s Galahad’s status?”

“He’s very close, it looks like.”

“Galahad, put the grenade away!” he hears Morgana yelling in the background. “That is not necessary!”

“I’d advise you to move away from the door at this time,” Harry says, calmly.

Merlin moves to the opposite side of the room, but calls out to Eggsy as he does. “Galahad, I’m fine.”

Silence for a moment, then “Merlin? You’re not hurt?”

“I darted them all.”

“Oh, good.” The handle to the door rattles. “You want to let me in then?”

Right. Stepping over Volkov, Merlin straightens his shirt out and opens the door.

Eggsy springs through the doorway. He sweeps the room, then looks Merlin up and down. “I heard gunshots.”

“You heard one shot, and he missed.”

“Great.” Eggsy moves closer and pulls Merlin in for one hell of a snog.

Merlin allows this for three or four minutes at the most before he pulls back. “What are you doing? These men are all unconscious, there’s no need to pretend.”

Eggsy closes his eyes briefly. When he opens them back up, he puts a hand gently to each side of Merlin’s face, making direct eye contact. “Merlin. I am kissing you because I am in love with you.”

“Oh.” Merlin needs a minute to process this.

Eggsy releases Merlin and takes a step back. “Is that alright?”

“I think I might be in love with you too, so, yes.” Merlin places one more kiss on Eggsy's lips. "We should finish up here before we discuss this further though."

Eggsy grins at him. "Yeah, probably. You grab the incriminating notebooks, I’ll steal us a car." He goes to the door and peers out before giving the all clear.

"Are you okay, Arthur?" Morgana is asking as they head out.

"I'm not crying,” Harry sniffles. “It's just very dusty in here all of a sudden.”


End file.
